ghoul /ɡuːl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: Arabic ; Origin: ghul , from ghala 'to seize' ]
1 . an evil spirit in stories that takes bodies from ↑ grave s (=place in the ground where dead people are buried) and eats them
2 . someone who gets pleasure from unpleasant things such as accidents that shock other people
—ghoulish adjective